The music world is mourning the loss of Raul Malo, the unmistakable voice and co-founder of The Mavericks, after his family announced he died Monday, Dec. 8, at the age of 60 following a battle with cancer.
According to Fox News, his wife, Betty Malo, shared the news in an emotional message online, reflecting the depth of the loss felt across the band’s fanbase and the broader music community.
“He was called to do another gig — this time in the sky — and he’s flying high like an eagle,” she wrote. She described her husband as someone who lived life “with joy and passion,” saying he had a rare ability to embody love, family, friendship, and adventure.
“No one embodied life and love, joy and passion, family, friends, music, and adventure the way our beloved Raul did,” she wrote. “Now he will look down on us… reminding us to savor every moment.”
Raul Malo had gone public with his health struggles earlier this year. Diagnosed with colon cancer in 2024, he revealed in September that he had also developed leptomeningeal disease, a rare condition in which cancer spreads to the tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
In a video posted to Instagram at the time, Malo spoke candidly about the seriousness of his condition.
“As it goes with cancer, it’s a very unpredictable and indiscriminatory disease,” he told fans. He explained that he would begin radiation treatment immediately, with chemotherapy and other therapies potentially to follow. “It’s time to take your words to heart of resting & recovering, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
The Mavericks canceled all remaining 2025 tour dates so their frontman could focus on treatment. Malo reassured fans that the band would continue releasing projects and recordings even as he stepped back from the stage.
Born Raul Francisco Martínez-Malo Jr. in Miami to Cuban parents, he co-founded The Mavericks in 1989 with drummer Paul Deakin and bass guitarist Robert Reynolds.
The band’s debut album arrived a year later, launching a decades-long career marked by critical acclaim and a fiercely loyal following.
The Mavericks went on to earn a Grammy, multiple CMA and ACM awards, and release 13 studio albums, including their 2024 project “Moon & Stars.”
Malo’s distinctive vocals and songwriting helped define the group’s genre-blending sound, and he earned additional accolades — including a BMI songwriting award for “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down” — as well as multiple solo Grammy nominations.
Malo’s wife expressed gratitude on behalf of their family, writing, “Dino, Victor, Max and I — along with our entire family — thank all of you for your love and support through all of this… In Raul’s own words: ‘Muchísimas gracias.’”
Raul Malo is survived by his wife of 34 years, Betty; his sons Dino, Victor and Max; his mother Norma; his sister Carol; and his Mavericks bandmates Paul Deakin, Eddie Perez and Jerry Dale McFadden.
